Group sues for environmental review of air quality guidelines

A lawsuit against the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s new air quality guidelines will go to trial, according to a press release from the California Building Industry Association, the organization that is suing the air district. The guidelines in question affect the review process for new developments throughout the Bay Area, and are scheduled to come into effect on May 1. The lawsuit asserts that the air district didn’t conduct an environmental impact report on the guidelines. The suit also assert that the limits will force developers to build too far from transit corridors, adding to greenhouse gas emissions.

“The record will demonstrate that the Air Districts action may inhibit smart growth in the Bay Area,” Paul Campos, general counsel for the building industry association, said in the press release.

The building industry association represents developers, architects, engineers, and other building professionals in California. Their lawsuit continues an ongoing argument over the air quality guidelines, which have been held back once already for further review. Asthma activists and other environmental justice advocates approve of the guidelines, while some developers and others who advocate building in urban centers say they are too strict.

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